In 1989, British Columbia’s forestry industry was under attack by radical environmentalists and fought back with billboards and television ads. Schmalz, Lasn, and other activists launched a counter-ad. But television stations refused to air it. The environmentalists protested in front of logging company headquarters and courted media attention. They were successful — the industry’s ads were pulled after hundreds of people phoned the networks in support of the activists — and Adbusters was born.

Schmalz was heavily involved in the first few issues of Adbusters magazine, but its unprofitability led him back to wilderness film and photography. He is still listed as a co-publisher and occasionally contributes to the magazine.